Beach Umbrella Hole Digging Device with Depth Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing digging devices for beach umbrellas are labor-intensive, difficult to use, and often result in imprecise holes, posing safety risks on windy days as they can become unstable and fly towards bystanders.
Innovation Solution
A beach umbrella hole digging device featuring a tubular shaft with evenly spaced horizontal demarcations, a tubular T joint, and handles, along with a plunger rod system that allows for precise excavation of sand by pressing into the ground and expelling a plug of sand, ensuring stability and depth control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If an auger is used to dig holes for beach umbrellas, then the hole can be excavated, but the device requires forceful rotation and is labor intensive
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of rotating the digging device into the sand (auger method), the patent inverts the approach by pushing the device straight down into the sand and then ejecting the sand plug through the hollow shaft. This eliminates the need for forceful rotation while maintaining effective hole excavation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the sand plug through the hollow interior of the shaft by pushing it out the top end. This extraction method allows for clean hole formation without requiring rotational digging forces, significantly reducing labor intensity.
2Measurement precision
If no digging device is used and hands or hammering is employed, then the process is simpler, but the hole depth and precision cannot be controlled
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies visual markers (demarcations) on the exterior of the shaft to indicate depth measurements. These visual indicators allow users to precisely control hole depth without complex measurement tools, maintaining simplicity while achieving accurate depth control.
Solution Approach 2:
The shaft is divided into segmented sections with demarcations that indicate specific depth intervals. This segmentation provides clear visual feedback for depth control without adding complex measurement mechanisms to the device.
3Reliability
If a pointed pole umbrella is inserted without proper hole preparation, then insertion is easier, but the umbrella becomes unstable and unsafe in windy conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The device creates the properly sized and depth-controlled hole before umbrella insertion. This preliminary hole preparation ensures the umbrella pole fits snugly and securely, providing stability in windy conditions while maintaining easy insertion of the umbrella itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The hollow shaft acts as an intermediary tool that transfers the user's pushing force directly to create the hole, then allows easy removal to insert the umbrella. This intermediary device facilitates both precise hole creation and simple umbrella insertion without compromising stability.
Data Source
AI summary
A device for excavating a precise plug of sand from a sand surface and umbrella assemblies are shown and described. In particular embodiments, a plunger includes a distal portion having a cavity, an elbow, and an elongated body separating said distal portion and the elbow. The result is a plunger and umbrella assemblies for excavating a precise, uniform hole substantially equivalent to the pole diameter.